Self-handling nail-cabinet.



No. 693,525. Patented Feb. I8, |902.

J. D. LEEN.

SELF HANDLING NAIL CABINET.

(Application med Jan. 12, 1901.)

(No Model.)

7i NVENTO'II- .fab-a. Leen.. Br I ATTORNEYS` UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN D. LEEN, OF BRAGGVILLE, MAINE.

SELF-HANDLING NAIL-CABINET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 693,525, dated February 18, 1902.

Application led January 12, 1901. Serial No. 42,981. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN D. LEEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Braggville, in the county of Penobscot and State of Maine, have invented a new and Improved Self- Handling Nail-Cabinet, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is designed particularly for use in the retail handling of nails, screws, bolts, and the like; and its object is to construct a cabinet that will be neat in appearance, easily operated, and so arranged that it will take up very little room in a store, of which the latter is an important feature of all cabinets.

Heretofore it has generally been the custom to provide bins in the bottom or lower part of counters, in which nails are kept; but with this arrangement great trouble is experienced by the clerks in getting the nails out, as it has to be done entirely by hand, and as the nails are hooked together, so to speak, few can be taken out at a time, rendering the operation slow and tedious, which consumes much time. By my invention I seek to avoid this difficulty by arranging a cabinet partitioned so as to accommodate different weights of nails and from which an exit or chute provided with a cutot is arranged for each separate compartment.

Vith various other objects in View I will now describe my cabinet in detail in the following specification, reference being had to the drawings forming part thereof, in whichm Figure l is a perspective view of my improved cabinet; Fig. 2, a transverse section of the same; Fig. 3, a front elevation, parts being broken away and others shown in section; Fig. 4L, a detail section on about line 4 4 of Fig. 2, showing one of the doors elevated. Fig. 5 is a detail View of one of the doors hereinafter referred to, and Fig. 6 a detail View showing a portion of one ot' the chutes.

My improved cabinet is preferably made of wood and is constructedof a front section ce, a back section a', and two end pieces a, the whole forming a rectangular casing or body A. A bottom Bis securely held in the lower part of the casing, being arranged obliquely therein, with its highest point at the back and its front end extending down through a slot :formed in the front section u of the casing.

The bottom B also forms a bottom for a series of chutes, which will be explained later on.

Arranged securely within the body A is a series of transverse division-plates C, which run from the front to the back of the casing, forming a series of compartments C, and having their lower ends beveled to fit upon the oblique bottom B. Each of these divisionplates is frmed with two or more grooves c, that run the entire length of the plates and are adapted to receive the ends of supplemental partitions D and D', which are arranged at right angles to the plates C, thus dividing each compartment into a series of supplementalcompartments, as shown. The partitions D are of a less length than the partitions C and are each provided near their upper ends with a hook CZ, that is adapted to be caught on the top of the partitions C when the partitions D are raised, thereby holding the latterin their raised position, thus allow ing an opening in the lower end of the compartments, which permits the contents of the supplemental compartment back of the partition that has been raised to escape and fall down to the chute. It may be stated here that each series of compartments is of such a size as to hold one keg of nails, and when the first compartment is emptied the partition D is raised and locked, thus allowing a fresh supply of nails to drop down to a chute ready for delivery. The purpose of these partitionn boards is to prevent an excessive Weight upon the needles in the chutes and to avoid clogging. As each series of compartments is designed to hold three kegs of nails, the pressure upon the needles, should the partitions be removed, would tend to bend the needles and interfere with the easy working of the doors.

On the front of the cabinet and arranged to communicate withI the compartments C is a series of chutes E. These chutes are constructed of a-top e, that runs the entire width of the casing, and the bottom b, which, as before stated, is a continuation of the bottom B, the ends being closed by end pieces a3, as shown. Partitions F are held between the top and bottom sections of the chute and are practically a continuation of the divisions C, although I prefer to make them of a separate piece, as shown. Doors G control the outer IOO D to fall down into the chute.

open ends of the chutes, and the construction and operation thereof form a special feature of myinvention, and they are all constructed practically alike. The doors proper, G, are made of a top g and a front g. The latter portion is arranged at right angles to the top and, projectingdown through aslot ezin'the chutes, controls the exit thereof. The ends g2 of the front pieces are extended slightly past the plane of the top and are adapted to work in grooves f in the partition F, thus forming steady-guides for the doors.k Securely held at their upper ends to the rear end of the top section of the door are rods H, which extend down through openings in the bottom B of the cabinet and are connected at their opposite ends by a cross-bar h, upon which is held a series of needle-points I. These points eX- tend up to and through the bottom of theA chutes and form supplemental stops when the doors are opened, as will appear later on. When the doors are closed, these needlepoints are drawn down until their upper ends are tiush With the bottom of the chute, thus allowing the contents in the compartments to fall down the chutes against the front sections g' of the doors. Now should a certian quantity of nails be wanted one of the doors is raised by the handle J and the nails in the chute, which were held therein by the door, immediately begin to fallout; but in raising the door the needle-points are simultaneousl y raised, thus preventing the nails in the compartment from dropping out and allowing only those in the chute which were held between the needle-points and the door to escape. When the door is again closed, the needle-points recede, and the nails in the compartment are again allowed to fall down against the door. This operation is repeated until the desired amount of nails is received. Should the first supplemental section of the compartment be emptied, the portion D is raised and the latch hooked over the top of the partition C, thus allowing the contents in t-he section back of the partition The operation is again repeated, when the third section is emptied and the entire supply is gone, when the partitions D and D' are lowered and the compartment refilled.

I preferably use a funnel in refilling the compartment, as it prevents the spilling ofA the nails when poured in the said compartment from the keg.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States, is-

1. In a cabinet of the character described, the combination of a rectangular body, a bottom held therein, transverse partitions arranged within said body forming compartments therein, supplemental partitions movably held to the said transverse partitions, and means for holding the supplemental pareeasas titions in an elevated position, thus providing a temporary communication between the supplementary compartments, and chutes communicating with the compartments all arranged substantially as shown and described.

2. In a cabinet of the character described, the combination of a rectangular casing, division-plates iixedly held Within said casing, grooves formed in the said plates supplemental division-plates adapted to slide within said grooves, and means for holding the said supplemental division-plates in an elevated position, chutes arranged 4on the front of the casing and havin g divisions arranged in alinement with the said division-plate of the casing, and means for controlling the outlets of the said chutes al1 arranged substantially as shown and described.

3. In a cabinet of the character described, thecombination, of a casing, an obliquely-arranged bottom formed therein, transverse partit-ions held in the casing, and having a plurality of grooves formed in the opposite sides thereof the ends of the said casing also having grooves arranged in alinement with the grooves in the said partitions, and slides or partitions adapted to t in the said grooves, and means for holding said slides or partitions in an elevated position, and chutes arranged upon the front of said casing all arranged substantially as shown and described.

4. In a nail-cabinet the combination of a rectangular casing,transverse partitions held therein, grooves formed in the inner sides of the end of said casing and on the opposite sides of the partitions supplemental partitions held to slide in the said grooves and bei ing shorter than the transverse partitions, which permits them to be raised and lowered in the said grooves, hooks secured tothe top of the su pplemental partitions for holding the latter in a raised position, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a cabinet of the character described, the combination of a casing, chutes held upon the front of said casing, doors for controlling the outer ends of the chutes, said doors consisting of a downwardly and rearwardly eX- tending portion, guide-rods depending from the rear end of the rearward portion and being of a greater length than the downwardly- `extending portion of the door, a cross-bar connecting the lower ends of the said rods, needle-points held upon the cross-bar, and extending into the chutes whereby when the door is raised the needle-points will be correspondingly raised into the chutes,thereby cutting off the supply fromthe casing and a handle held on the door, all arranged substantially as shown and described.

JOHN D. LEEN.

Vitnesses:

HALBERT P. GARDNER, IvAH M. WooDBURY.

IOO

IIS 

